


Empty Nest

by OrionRedde, Shyrstyne



Series: Cometverse [16]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Werecreatures, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 04:05:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18328277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrionRedde/pseuds/OrionRedde, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shyrstyne/pseuds/Shyrstyne
Summary: Sora finally remembers to visit his Mother





	Empty Nest

**Author's Note:**

> Soyokaze, like Sora, is a jaguar. Normally were's don't really stray from where they've made nest and pack, but Sora had to get his wanderlust from somewhere.. and kaze's pack has splintered enough she's low-key searching for a new one 
> 
> also i don't know how dilan/sora's mom became a thing, but it's kind of strangely adorable and we like it a lot ngl

Sora doesn’t realize he can go home, at first.

With everything that had happened, and still needing to find Riku somewhere out there, it just doesn’t occur to him. He’s always been very goal-oriented, and with his friends on the line his focus only narrows more. It’s several months later after a visit with Comet that he realizes the Islands had been reformed along with everything else and it’s entirely possible for him to go home again.

It’s a small comment that does it, as Comet sets out a small lunch for them both, Sora telling them about the problems he’s been having on his journey, Donald and Goofy on either side, helping with the details. Comet can only shake their head at the ridiculousness of it all.

“I swear, it’s a good thing I’m not your ren, Sora. Even as it is I think I’m going to go gray by the time I’m thirty.”

“Aw you don’t have to worry,” Goofy says cheerily.

“Right! We take good care of Sora!” Donald chips in pridefully. Sora nods.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Beside’s, you can never have too many parents.” He grins.

“How is your mother, Sora? You haven’t told me about her since the worlds returned.”

Sora stops.

The gears in his head click to life.

The worlds returned.

That means the Destiny Islands returned.

That meant his mom, his pack-

“Sorry Comet I gotta go!” Tumbles out of him in a rush, and then he drags Goofy and Donald out. He feels a little silly, even as he knows he hadn’t done it on purpose. He’d been so focused on finding Riku, and justifiably so! That he’d forgotten all about the rest of his pack. He’s missed her so much

They have no leads right now anyways, he tells himself as the three of them boot up the ship. A quick stop at home…

He needs to make a quick stop at home. Riku would forgive him.

He finds the islands easily enough, heart clenching in his chest as they come into view. He hadn’t wanted to come back until he had Riku with him, but now that he’s remembered he needs to see it. Needs to see his mom is okay. He lands perhaps a little closer to town than is strictly advisable, but he pays it no mind as he sprints for the house, almost exactly as he remembers it, Donald and Goofy in tow.

She’s in the kitchen, sipping tea when he bursts through the door.

Soyokaze looks up at her son with wide, disbelieving eyes for a moment before dropping her cup, spilling tea everywhere and leaping from the table and pulling him in for the tightest hug she can manage.

He can’t hold in his own tears as she presses her nose into his hair, nuzzling him and choking back sobs.

“I’m home.”

They talk for the afternoon, he tells her of wild adventures, of worlds and people, of a madman named Ansem and place that is both a hollow bastion and a radiant garden. After he makes it clear he needs to find Riku, she doesn’t ask him to stay. She looks like she wants to ask him something else, but eventually chooses against it. She grills Donald and Goofy for details on how they’ve been taking care of her boy, and despite her stern questioning she seems satisfied he’s in good hands.

Mostly with Goofy, all things told.

Sora tries to find Kairi, but aside from a vague suggestion that she had gone down to the beach, he can’t find her, only strange marks in the sand that seem familiar but he can’t quite identify. He’s disappointed but knows he can’t delay any longer, he has to get back to searching for Riku… Even if he’s not sure where to go next right now. He knows she’s safe here, even as he also knows she’s going to be mad later that he didn’t see her when he was so close.

It’s only later he learns that he’d missed her by less than an hour. Both her and Axel.

But he pushes through, finds her, and then through her finds Riku too, and _finally_ the world is right again.

It’s all still strange, but with Riku and Kairi with him, it’s close enough to Right that’s all that matters.

They end up on the dark meridian, just him and Riku. He regrets they can’t be with Kairi, that Kairi can’t be with them, but they can’t do anything here. They accept they’re stranded here with as much optimism as they can manage, resting on the dark, grainy sand as Riku’s wounds heal. Neither of them know how long they’ve been there when the bottle washes up on the sand.

They go home, for real this time.

Kairi’s smile greets them, and Sora feels complete for the first time in what feels like years.

He pulls both of them home with him, and Kaze greets them both with relief.

“I heard some of what happened.” She tells Riku, taking his face in her hands. “I know Sora’s probably already pounded it into your head, but you’re always welcome with us. No matter what.”

He blushes, but nods.

“Yeah I’m.. starting to get that, a little.” He answers.

“Good.” She gives one cheek an affectionate pat. “Now all of you sit down and tell me the rest of the story while I make my adventurous children some dinner, okay?”

She thinks she gets the edited version of the story still, but with her son finally home, laughing and happy with his oldest friends she pushes away the urge to challenge them on it. She’ll grill him later if it’s still bothering her, but for now.. It’s good, to see him home and hale.

They’re still telling stories through dinner, and then into the evening as she pulls Sora into the den, shifting as she goes, inhaling her cubs scent. Sora shifts too, followed closely by Kairi as they all snuggle into the soft sheets of the nest, Sora telling her about Comet, and how they’d opened their own den for him during the time the Islands had disappeared.

Riku lingers in the doorway.

Kaze pats the space next to her, and Kairi scowls, pointing forcefully.

“Get in here you big dolt.” She says.

“It’s not a pack cuddle if not everyone is there.” Kaze adds. Riku almost shyly sits next to Kaze and Sora, Kairi on their other side. He sits stiffly, not quite touching, until both Kaze and Sora pull him into the huddle.

“So yeah. Comet helped a bunch, having someplace to come back to during everything… really helped, even if it wasn’t home.” Sora says, yawning and curled in his mothers fur, tail draped over Kairi, and muzzle in Riku’s lap.

“I’d like to meet them some time.” Kaze says, petting him absently. “Thank them for helping take care of you when I couldn’t.”

Sora lifts his head, brightening.

“Yeah! You already met Donald and Goofy, but I could take you to meet all the friends I made! All of you!”

All three of them smile.

“I’d love that!” Says Kairi, and Riku nods.

“Sounds fun.”

“We’ll make plans tomorrow.” Kaze says. “For now, I think you have had a very long day and should probably sleep.”

They do.

It’s eventually decided to be two trips, as Kaze has obligations she has to tend to before she can leave, and well.. She knows the three of them want to soak in each other’s presence for a while longer, without the looming eyes of an adult around.

So the three of them go, giggling and laughing all the way as she waves them off.

Kaze takes care of her business, and three weeks later, they return.

Sora finds her outside, pushing boxes to the side, sporting a black eye.

“Are you okay? Did something happen on patrol?” He asks, worry clear in his tone. She blinks, and then laughs, hugging him.

“No, no, just some roughhousing with Tama that got out of hand, I’m fine cub. Are you ready to show me the world?”

“I’ll show you more than that!” He says, mischief in his eyes. “What’s with the boxes?”

“Just packing up, since I’m not going to be needing them while we’re out and I expect this to take a while.” She hefts one moderately sized box on one hip and then gestures him forwards.

“Well, my little knight, take me away.”

He bows and takes her hand, leading her to the ship.

Kaze had grown up on the islands. Known only the same lands, the same people, all her life. The islands had never been particularly large, but even as she watches the tiny landmasses shrink from view she can hardly believe she’s spent so many years in such a small place.

Sora takes her to see so many places, and people, and one of them she’s been looking forward to is Comet, who took her boy in and helped him. At the very least she needs to extend her gratitude.

Her first impression of Comet is someone who’s been through the ringer and come out the other side a little hard and a lot caring. She appreciates that in a person, though she thinks she might have intimidated them a little at one point. She hadn’t meant to, it was just years of being part of the town Guard and habits from her old friendship with Tama coming to the forefront.

Still, she thinks as she watches Comet smile affectionately at her son, she likes Comet. They’ve clearly become a home away from home for Sora, and she can’t explain how much that means to her. She’s happy to include them as part of her family.

They bid them goodbye, and then they’re off again, seeing new worlds and going places she’d never dreamed possible.

She decides she dislikes Agrabah almost as soon as she sets foot in it. She likes sand well enough, but so much beach without any ocean is quite frankly unnatural to her.

Their last stop is Radiant Garden. Sora tells her it’s still under reconstruction, having been hit hard in its fall to darkness nearly a decade ago, but coming together under the determined hands of the Restoration Committee. She comes out of the ship, and despite the lack of ocean, or salt in the air she almost instantly falls in love with it.

It’s worn looking, but the tone in the air is hopeful, determined. There’s always something to do here she can already tell, and when Sora introduces her to the committee (and what a surprise to learn these are Comet’s siblings!) she only finds herself more charmed.

She skillfully suggests something to the excitable young one, Yuffie she’s pretty sure, who drags Sora away on some misadventure, and then pulls the older two aside to ask them some questions.

Aerith is enthused by her suggestion, and Leon manages a nod and a smile.

“We’re happy to have all the help we can get.” He tells her, and she knows she’s made the right decision.

Later that evening, Sora walks her back to the ship, but she stops before they can board.

“Mom?” He asks, turning towards her as she pauses.

“I think I’m going to stay here, Sora.” She tells him, and he’s taken aback in his surprise.

“Wh- really? What about the islands? Or the guard?” He asks.

“I’m retired now, Sora, and without any of you kids running around.. It just doesn’t feel like home anymore. I can do something here, help these people. You know I used to help your grandfather building houses before I joined the guard, right?”

“I guess..” He can’t explain why this change upsets him. “Me and Riku and Kairi are going home though, I don’t know for how long, but-”

“I’m not staying now.” She assures him. “There’s still some loose ends to be tied, but soon. I thought I’d let you know.”

He moves in to hug her.

“I love you.” He murmurs into her chest. He’s grown so tall without her, the thought leaving something between sadness and nostalgia in her chest.

“I love you too.”

“I’ll visit all the time.”

“More than last time, I hope.” She teases, which makes him laugh.

“Definitely.” He promises.

They go home. Kaze packs her things, leaves the house bare and in her son's name (she doesn’t believe he’ll use it for long after she’s gone, but she wants him to have a place anyway), and then she moves to the Garden in truth.

She helps with the construction, assists in planning the layout of the new buildings as much as she assists in actually building them. She makes new friends, and talks often with the Committee members.

A few months later, new people emerge from the castle.

Some people, residents from the Radiant Garden of old, recognize them.

There are.. Some incidents.

Things calm down over time, and Kaze only hears about it peripherally, but from what she can gather relations remain somewhat tense. She doesn’t meet any of them for some time.

She meets a man, roughly her own age, in the market one day, both of them picking up food. He seems a little awkward, and standoffish, but he goes along with her jokes and they fall into a surprisingly easy dynamic, and she extracts a promise from him to meet again later.

Sue her, she’s been lonely since her husband died.

She doesn’t learn until later that he’s one of those mysterious people from the castle, after they’d met a few times, and Dilan had started coming by the house she was building to bring her refreshments. One of the other workers spotted him and started hurling verbal abuse at him. Kaze doesn’t know the full story, but she decks him anyway.

“He’s one of the people that are the reason we have to rebuild at all!” He shouts, between bloody teeth. She stands tall, hands on her hips.

“Maybe so. But so far as I can tell they’re doing their best to make amends. You don’t have to forgive them, but you don’t have to be starting fights either.”

The man mutters something about her throwing the first punch but backs down. Dilan just looks at her with something akin to awe. She turns to him with a grin.

“Now, where were we?”

He wonders why she doesn’t ask about his past, what the people accuse him of. He’s scared to ask. She answers anyways.

“I do want to know that story some time but.. I don’t know. I’ve always been a big fan of forgiveness. People don’t get learn without the opportunity to do so. No one is perfect and everyone deserves the chance to better themselves.”

And is clearly willing to come to blows for that belief. She seems almost familiar to him in that moment.

She laughs.

“I like to think it’s the most important lesson I ever taught Sora, too.”

His mind grinds to a halt.

“You know Sora?”

“Oh, you do too? You’ll have to tell me how you know him. He’s my son.”

Dilan stares at her, and suddenly the similarities are too great to ignore. The spiky hair, the carefree grin, the laid back attitude backed by a core of sheer steel.

Oh no.

_Oh no._

He doesn’t tell her how he knows Sora, merely that he’d met him before.

**_Oh no._ **

 

**Author's Note:**

> hey dilan. hey dilan how's it feel to be crushing on your nobody's murderer's mom. hey. answer me dilan. >:)


End file.
